


Making the effort

by JauntyHako



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, He takes part in book burnings, Lucifer lives in the bunker, M/M, Universe Alteration - The Cage is empty, and routinely steals the Impala, the devil makes some delicious pie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-11 05:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3316397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JauntyHako/pseuds/JauntyHako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer is semi-human and lives with Sam and Dean in the bunker, adjusting to being more human than angel. For Sam's sake he tries to get along with Dean, as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making the effort

**Author's Note:**

> I can't get enough of Samifer at the moment. This one isn't angsty, though and not even an AU (i was a bit afraid of being incapable of writing anything but AUs at this point) so here you go. Hope you enjoy! :)

Lucifer stood in the backyard burning books. It was one of those days.

 

At least he burned only books and not, say, the Impala. Dean had shouted for hours after _that_ , even though Lucifer had restored the car fully. Things being what they were, Sam could think of a lot worse situations than Lucifer being in plain sight doing something explainable and not batshit crazy. Still he shuffled outside in his dressing gown and thick socks, shivering in the cold.

  
„You're not burning anything important, are you?“ Sam asked as he came to a halt next to Lucifer. The flames provided some measure of warmth in the early January air. He sincerely hoped he didn't enjoy getting his face warmed by priceless Men of Letters records. 

„No, no. Nothing important.“ Lucifer answered deliberately casual. Sam raised his brows at him and shot a closer look at the burning heap of books. And then a second.

„Are those issues of 50 Shades of Grey?“ he inquired carefully. Lucifer smiled broadly.

„Yes. When I picked up the book you ordered yesterday a woman recommended the books to me. I did not enjoy them.“ he added with his serious face on.

Sam was almost afraid to ask.

„And … why?“ he said nonetheless because curiosity was a bitch.

„You should know me well enough to know that, Sam.“ Lucifer said and sounded almost offended. Sam made an understanding noise.

„This consent-kink you have going.“

„It's not a kink. I do enjoy power exchange, not abuse and rape. I believe leaving these books for easily impressed humans to read would be harmful to them. I am being helpful.“

The thing was, in his own way, Lucifer was helpful. At least he tried. When Lucifer first moved to the bunker Sam told him to make an effort and develop a non-destructive interest in humanity. With only drops of his old Grace left he was more human than anything. Enough that his essence didn't burn through the restored body of Nick at least.

So Lucifer 'helped'. He didn't perform miracles on sick babies or fed the homeless. But he force-detoxxed drug abuse victims, discreetly disposed of abusive husbands, and now, apparently burned books for the common interest of humanity. As much as Sam wanted to object to burning books, he couldn't bring himself to scold Lucifer. A personal beef with consent-problematic topics was not the worst trait to nurture in the devil.

He patted Lucifer on the back, cautioned him to be careful with the fire and went back inside.

 

Where Dean waited to bestow upon him the latest tirade of Lucifer's horrible behaviour.

„He let the cold water run while I was under the shower. _Again_. And somehow he got a hold of 'The Great Book of Pranks', that we locked away because it was cursed.“ he said on their way to the kitchen.

Sam had been wondering if the biting bedbugs had something to do with Lucifer. Not that they troubled  _him_ in any way. Sam had gotten a tap-dance performance. Dean still scratched various parts of his body. 

He let Dean rant about Lucifer's provocations, most of them harmless pranks, although Sam made a note to talk to Lucifer about making jabs at Dean's masculinity and bisexuality. He couldn't deal with his brother's gay panic on top of everything else right now.

„Look, Dean, he's still adapting. You know that it's not easy for him to deal with the situation and his whole I-hate-humans thing. All I ask is that you give him some time.“  
Dean shook his head in defeat.

„Yeah, yeah, I know. Poor baby Lucifer is all human now, how horrible. When did you become his biggest defender, anyhow?“

 

 

„ _It was not you who threw me in the Cage, Samuel.“ Michael said, once again in the body of a young John Winchester. Adam, staring into blank space, breathing but doing nothing more than that, sat to Michael's right. The angel had one arm wrapped around his former vessel in a gesture that would have been protective, if Sam didn't know that Michael had taken his wrath out on Adam in the first place._

„ _You could not have moved me with all your strength after you regained control over your vessel. It was Lucifer who lend you the strength needed and it was him who protected you from the Cage. And me.“  
„He … protected me? I thought …“ Sam said, but broke off. He tried not to dwell on his memories of the Cage too long. From the hallucinations he had assumed it had been Lucifer to inflict the worst torture on him. It was the closest bet, after all._

„ _That he would harm you? My brother may have a great many flaws, but he_ is _protective. And he likes you, for whatever reason. Perhaps because you are alike in some ways. But he never harmed you. When I lashed out at you, he took the punishment as if it were meant for him. Never before have I seen him accept pain this readily.“_

_It didn't feel like Michael was lying and Sam felt oddly compelled to believe him. He glanced at Lucifer who sat in a booth a bit away under close scrutiny of Dean and Cas._

„ _Why are you telling me all this?“ he finally asked._

„ _Because I would like for you to take him into your home. Adam and I will seek shelter elsewhere, but Lucifer can not follow where we will go. My time in the cage has given me some incentive to think about my duties as a brother. Once again I can not accomodate them but I would at least see to his safety before I leave.“_

_In the end Sam agreed. Lucifer was lost, almost powerless and he, among the only ones to never have hurt him, deserved at least a chance. Maybe without the apocalypse looming over them there was a chance for Lucifer after all._

 

„I don't ask you to become bff's with him, Dean. Just give him a chance.“ Sam said at last. Dean _knew_ why he was protective over Lucifer. He saw himself in him, a fact he never wanted to accept before but embraced more and more.

As always Dean muttered and complained but promised to not antagonise Lucifer.

It lasted all the way until noon, when an ungodly shriek sounded from the garage, causing Sam to drop everything and barge in, fearing a demon invasion. There were no demons. There was also no Impala.

„The bastard stole baby!“ Dean raged. „When I get this little bitch in my fingers, he's going to bleed. CAS! Get your feathery ass down here.“

It spoke for Cas' increasing savviness in human body language that he didn't try to go in for a kiss like he usually did when visiting the bunker. Instead he took one look, noticed that both the Impala and Lucifer were missing and nodded.

„I will look for him immediately.“ he said and disappeared again.

It fell to Sam to calm Dean down and assure him that his baby would be fine.  
„It's not like the first time this happened. Lucifer will be careful. It's just his way of taking an interest in what you do.“

Dean shot him a look that called bullshit. Sam sighed. He didn't really believe it himself. Stealing Baby was Lucifer's way of being a little shit. They both knew it. But Sam had the duty of preventing homicide in the bunker and would lie his head off to achieve it.

Cas popped in several minutes later, informing Dean and Sam about Lucifer's whereabouts. Before Dean could demand being taken to Lucifer, Sam intercepted.

„No, let me. I'll talk to him, make sure this doesn't happen again. I'll drive baby home.“

 

When Cas zapped Sam to Lucifer, flying directly back to Dean afterwards, Lucifer sat on the hood eating a hot dog. He must have noticed him arriving but he ignored Sam in favour of looking at the night sky. It was a beautiful night, more so outside the city in the fields where Lucifer had parked. No lights polluted the sky, only stars and the half moon glued to a black tapestry.

„Okay, spill.“ Sam said as he sank down next to him. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him.

„Don't play stupid. You never leave the bunker without telling me unless something's bothering you.“

Sometimes talking to Lucifer was like talking to a small child. He could be remarkably stubborn if he wanted to be. Tonight he seemed in an amicable mood, though.

„I hate being human.“ he stated. No news, so far. Sam waved at him to elaborate.

„Angels are meant to be grander, Sam. There was a time when I could have flown us to the farthest galaxies in the blink of an eye. I could have shown you the universe, revealed every last secret to you. Now I barely have enough to employ subterfuge when stealing books.“

And so he stole a car and drove away from the confines of bunker and city to look at the sky that he once was able to brave. Now rooted to the earth, only longing brought him closer to his former might.

He allowed Sam to pull him close into an embrace and companionable silence. There was nothing Sam could say or do to make this right. But Lucifer liked silence well enough. The Cage had been loud, stirred up sounds in his head that would never go away. Sam brought quiet to the chaos, could even chase away the nightmares sometimes. As long as Lucifer was with Sam, he didn't feel the lack of his wings as much.

 

Half an hour later they drove back to the bunker, Taylor Swift singing lyrics that Sam tried very hard not to hum along to. Dean discovering his inner Swiftie was all well, but he didn't need to do the same.

„So it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames ...“ Lucifer sang, grinning as Sam swatted at him.

Of course that only prompted Lucifer to sing along to the whole song. He showed remarkable accuracy, too. Where Lucifer despised just about everything humans ever made, be it paintings, architecture or classic literature, he adapted surprisingly quickly to the phenomenon of Taylor Swift. Sam would have suspected Dean having his hand in that, if Dean didn't refuse to share anything with Lucifer, much less his guilty pleasures.

 

Sam let Lucifer off the hook with the promise that he make up stealing Baby from. While Dean searched for any damage – there weren't any, Sam had checked – Sam went to the library to get some research done.

 

Three hours later the delicious scent of pecan pie wafted through the air. Sam followed his nose to the kitchen where he found, of all people, Lucifer, humming as he worked on a second pie accompanying the one currently in the oven.

 

„Don't look so surprised, Sam.“ Lucifer said conversationally. „You did tell me to get on Dean's good side.“

„Yeah … I just …“ Sam was at a loss for words. Lucifer hated eating, he hadn't ever even set foot in the kitchen, except to binge on instant ramen (a dish so far from anything growing out of dirt that it was apparently bearable). Only now did he notice the steaks fizzling in the pan. Lucifer smiled as if nothing in the world could bother him right now.

„You … cooking. It's not what I expected to see.“ he finished, happy to see that Lucifer really _was_ making an effort.

„It's easy, Sam. Most human things are.“

„Okay.“ It wouldn't be Lucifer without at least a hint of condescension. Still he approved and Lucifer smiled at him like a puppy who had just learned a new trick. Cooking makes Sam happy, remember for future reference.

Sam watched Lucifer go about his work, chopping vegetables, mashing potatoes. It wouldn't be long until Dean got wind of pie being made in the general vicinity. In fact Sam was surprised he wasn't here already. Usually his sensibility for pie was keener than Sam's.

Of course.

Sam casually wandered outside the kitchen and found Dean outside in the hallway, looking conflicted. It was pie against socialising with Lucifer.

Sam raised his eyebrows. He didn't need to say anything. About five minutes of silent arguing later, Dean sighed and threw his hands up, walking into the kitchen to help with setting the table.

The food was delicious and the pie even earned Lucifer a compliment from Dean. He accepted it with a graceful nod. Maybe this would finally result in a truce.

 

 

„Thank you for getting along with my brother.“ Sam said later when they cuddled in bed. His head rested on Lucifer's chest. He felt more than heard him laugh.

„Anything for you.“

Sam hummed in content as Lucifer began running his hands through his hair.

„I wouldn't say no to a reward, however.“ Lucifer added. Sam pulled up for kiss then.

„Is that so? And what kind of reward did you have in mind?“

„Oh, I have some ideas … I heard humans enjoy playing with their food. Incidentally I recently acquired a can of whipped cream …“

 

Sam laughed brightly. This would make a mess of them and the sheets. But, he supposed, Lucifer earned that one. Sheets could be washed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I completely forgot to add that the scene of Lucifer cooking (and thus basically the whole fic) is based on this amazing gifset   
> http://casclarenceunicorn.tumblr.com/post/93791527546/samifer-au-ish-where-sam-finds-lucifer-and


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